With his son helping assist on the sidelines, Draymond Green seemed intent on leading the way on the floor as the Golden State Warriors overcame the Sacramento Kings in a 113-98 victory on Monday night.
In their first game back at Chase Center after a five-game road trip, the Dubs led for the majority of the contest before eventually pulling away from a gritty Kings outfit.
The Golden State Warriors led at the end of every quarter, outscoring the Kings by ten in the final period to notch their 25th win of the season.
With both teams missing some key offensive weapons, the game produced just 42 points in the opening 12 minutes. Fortunately for the Warriors, their stifling defense allowed them to open up a ten-point lead.
With Andrew Wiggins in health and safety protocols, excitement surrounded the inclusion of Jonathan Kuminga in the starting line-up. But after what promised to be another exhilarating look at the 19-year old, he unfortunately suffered from back tightness and wasn’t seen after the first six and a half minutes.
The Kings attempted to rally in the second quarter, however, their runs of momentum were met by Warrior resistance on multiple occasions. Sacramento cut the margin to three early in the period, before the Dubs extended the margin back to 11. Then later in the quarter, after the Kings had narrowed it to five, Golden State ended the first half on a 10-3 run to take a 58-46 lead.
But just as it looked like the Warriors may have broken their spirit, Sacramento made another more sustained push in the third. On the back of a quartet of Buddy Hield’s threes, the Kings overcame a 15 point deficit to take the lead at 79-77 late in the third. Again the Warriors steadied, taking an 84-79 lead into the final 12 minutes.
The two teams went toe-to-toe, basket-for-basket early in the last, with the Warrior lead still sitting at just five with just over six minutes remaining. From there though it seemed as if the Kings accepted their fate, lowering their intensity level on defense as Stephen Curry sprung open for a couple of open threes.
Curry, along with Green, helped Golden State to a quick 10-0 burst which prevented any chance of a surprise Sacramento win. The Kings were gallant in defeat, yet each time they threatened the Warriors responded by imposing their stature on the game. That’s what good teams do, and what the Dubs will have to continue doing even in Poole and Wiggins’ absence.
Golden State Warriors: Two Key Stats
1. Green’s triple double
The three-time all-star did absolutely everything for the Warriors, producing arguably his best game of the season in terms of consistency on both sides of the ball.
He finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and ten assists, along with two steals and two block shots. The triple double was Green’s 31st of his career, with the Warriors record at 30-1 in those games.
2. Bench pieces produce badly needed contribution
With Wiggins and Poole out, Golden State badly needed a few role players to step up into the greater responsibility. That’s exactly what they got as a number of players revived their best form.
After a reasonable layoff, Andre Iguodala produced his second big game in a row with ten points and six assists off the bench. Gary Payton II continued his impressive season with 12 points, six assists and three steals, whilst Otto Porter Jr. produced 12 points, five rebounds and four blocks in his 29 and a half minutes.
Perhaps more importantly, Damion Lee returned to form after being thrust into the starting shooting guard position in place of Poole. He finished with 18 points whilst missing just one shot and making all four of his three-point attempts.
The Warriors now have a couple of days rest before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies back at Chase Center on Thursday.